Korea Festival 2013 was held in conjunction with Vizit Korea, took place at the Singapore Expo on October 25 to 27, 2013. It was the only festival with Korean focused consumer travel, food, lifestyle and entertainment event and was held over a span of three days with various artistes gracing the stage. The opening ceremony on October 25, started off with the breathtaking and definitely cute "Arirang" performance by the Little Angels. After which, they surprised the crowd by singing their adorable version of Singapore's "Chan Mali Chan" bringing in lots of admiration from the audience.

Their act was then followed up by an extraordinary performance by the Taekwondo team. The Taekwondo masters showed really daring moves making everyone else cringe. The most intense moment was definitely when two blindfolded members kicked an apple out of a knife, causing the apple to fly above the heads of the audience.

Following up with another amazing performance was NU'EST. They performed their recent title track "Sleep Talking", giving the fans a brief introduction of their powerful stages they can expect on the second day of the event.

It was then time for the highlight of the first day of Vizit Korea, the showcase of the six lovely girls of A-Pink. As soon as the lights were deemed and opening video played, it had fans all screaming and shrieking, definitely hyping up the atmosphere. The opening video showed a video of the girls introducing their concert with Hayoung hilariously exclaiming that, "Singapore reminds me of the Merlion". They then showed their excitement of performing in Singapore again after two years. 

As soon as the video stopped playing, the hall was filled with screams as the girls stepped on the stage performing their debut song "I Don't Know", giving off their fresh and young charm. They blew the fans away as some watched their performance in awe, obviously taken away by their beauty. They then followed up with "Bubibu" as their next song, again showing their adorable sides. 

After the two amazing performances, they took a short break to give their introductions. Chorong asked everyone to enjoy themselves, saying they have prepared a lot for the showcase. When asked whether there were any places they would love to visit in Singapore, Bomi quickly answered, "I really want to go to the Merlion Park and make good memories with the rest of the members". Namjoo also added on that she would love to visit Marina Bay Sands' swimming pool and swim there. 

They then got to reminisce about their first win at Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) which was held in Singapore two years ago. Chorong showed her appreciation to Singapore fans saying that "After debut, we got our first award in Singapore, which is why it is more meaningful to be in Singapore."

After being posed the question on how they have changed after the two years, Eunji explained "In 2011, two years ago, I was so nervous I did not get to enjoy the stage. Now I am able to enjoy and interact more with the fans". Bomi also said that they now have more responsibilities and feel pressured to perform better, signalling how they plan to return the fans' support and love for them.

A-Pink brought much laughter to the crowd as they agreed unanimously that Bomi is the most popular member in Singapore. Chorong explained, "When I came to the airport, the first thing I heard was Bomi's name (laughs)".  They were then asked to reveal the good points of each other, showing their close ties with each other. They also have great teamwork and showed the fans how supportive they are as a team.

After the mini interview session, they then continued with their amazing performances and performed their hit song "My My", followed by "U You", which hyped up the atmosphere of the hall. While performing, they gave various fan services to the fans and even posed for some lucky fans' cameras, giving them a memory that they would never forget.

After a short break, they came back up the stage to answer some of the fans' questions. The questions vary from their recommendations of places to visit in Korea, to their favourite food in Singapore as well as any skills that they would like to take up in the future. They answered the questions truthfully and even caused the hall to roar with laughter with their full-of-wit remarks. 

They then continued the showcase with "Lovely Day". Chorong exclaimed, "It is indeed a lovely day because I get to see all of you up close!" and continued with, "Thank you for all the fans for supporting us this far. The only way I can show you my love is to prepare a better song." Her statement made lots of fans feel loved as they listened carefully to what she has to say. 

It was then time for the hugely anticipated lucky draw as the members pick a name each. The lucky fans won an autographed 'Secret Garden' album. The winners also received a good treat as they got to hug the members and take a picture with them, definitely bringing back a good memory.

A-Pink then closed off the showcase with their last performance, "No No No" performing to the loud fan chants by fans as they concluded their full-of-life showcase. It was therefore no surprise how A-Pink maintained an enormous pool of dedicated fans, even after only 2 years of debut. The fans show their dedication by queuing up several hours in advance to get a good position in the mosh pit. The fans' effort was definitely not to waste as A-Pink gave an all-around good showcase and fantastic fan services.

It was however not the end, as the girls get to choose two fans each who will win a set of make-up merchandise from them. All the fans frantically waved their arms up in the air and some even climbed on top of their friends to make the girls notice them. The fans did all sorts of crazy antics that brought much laughter and smile to the girls of A-Pink. 

After giving away the merchandise, it was then really time for the girls to leave. They concluded their showcase with a picture together with the crowd. A-Pink requested the photographer to take the picture from different angles, as they do not want anyone to be excluded from the picture.

It was definitely not the end for Vizit Korea 2013 as boy group NU'EST and A-JAX will be having their showcases as well, on the 26th October (Saturday) and 27th October (Sunday) respectively. Don't miss the Film Festival (including Movie Screening and appearance of the lovely actress Lee Chae Young and father-son duo Sung Dong Il and Sung Joon from 'Dad, Where Are You Going') on Sunday as well. It would be three days filled with star-studded events.

Special thanks to MediaCorp VizPro International Pte Ltd for inviting KpopStarz.com to cover 'Korea Festival 2013 - Vizit Korea '.

Writer: Sri Ayuni  | Photo Credits: Leonard Lim